Bray's One Month Mead

Williams 728
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rjolin01 said:
I am having a difficult time trying to figure an appropriate starter cocktail for a 3 gallon batch and also the TOSNA amount since I using fermaid-o. How much dap:fermaid-o for each addition. Can anyone help?
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For a mead starter:
https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Start/

Fermaid O has been a big bag of wormies. Here is what I've learned so far:
1. When it works, Fermaid O mead is very aromatic.
2. It doesn't always work for Wyeast 1388. Especially if you follow TOSNA.
3. Fermaid O has difficulty hitting the high ABV that Fermaid K:DAP reaches.
4. Fermaid O ferments are slower.

I like mead produced with Fermaid O, so I've done some experiments. My schedule is as follows:
Fermaid O BOMM SNA
SG - 1.100 - 6.6 g total. Add 2.2 grams upfront, at 1.076, and 1.043.

SG - 1.120 - 9 g total. Add 3 grams upfront, 1.090, and 1.050. This will finish off dry and take forever to clear without cold crashing.

Add potassium carbonate as originally stated.
 
The above is my current schedule. In the future, I will experiment with a Fermaid O & K mixture. I think the vitamins and trace nutrients in Fermaid K are missing from O and that's why Wyeast 1388 doesn't perform as fast.
 
My local honey store has some raspberry honey now so I'm thinking about starting another gallon or two. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of this lol. I'm making lots of fruit wine too.
 
loveofrose said:
Let it stay in primary the full month. The yeast tend to clean up off flavors during that time. You can rack before, but only if it tastes good.

You can reuse yeast as long as you started at 1.120 or below AND the batch is 1 month old or less. It can be variable if your sanitation isn't perfect though.
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Thanks LOR. I plan on reusing the yeast lees from this batch for another batch so maybe I rack a little earlier than a month so the yeast is ok. My second batch will be another BOMM but I want to add fruit to it in the secondary.
 
Crap! Didn't realize how unprepared I am, I don't have GoFerm but I do have Yeast Energizer. It has DAP in it. I read the DAP is "bad" for yeast rehydration but since this is already rehydrated and used the included smack pack, will DAP still be bad? Nearest LHBS is over hour away, and kinda sucks. I wish I didn't smack the yeast last night. I may put it in fridge and let it sit while I order all the correct stuff. And maybe even a new 1388 just to ensure this one doesn't go bad.
 
Correct. Rehydrated yeast don't have a problem with DAP.

That smack pack is spent. There is only enough nutrient for a 3-5 hours in the pack. After that, the yeast go to sleep. It may still work, but you will probably have a long lag phase.
 
I will try a starter with the yeast nutrient I have and see what happens. Three days should give me plenty time to order some fermaid-k since fermaid-o seems to be less desirable
 
Quick question. Is this method similar to what the commercial meaderies do? Places like B-Nektar and my local place New Day turn out some great mead but low ABV do they back sweeten? I want to try and make a clone of New Days Breakfast Magpie. Which is a black raspberry coffee mead. It's sooooo good.

Thanks
 
Meads tend to finish below a gravity of 1.000 unless the yeast craps out from being above its alcohol tolerance. So yes, most commercial meaderies back sweeten. For example, Moonlight Meadery tends to back sweeten quite a bit and makes pretty sweet meads.

On the other hand, I saw a guy named Ricky the Meadmaker give a presentation at NHC this year. He doesn't back sweeten and serves his mead very very dry. I don't know the name of his meadery though.
 
jradams76 said:
Quick question. Is this method similar to what the commercial meaderies do? Places like B-Nektar and my local place New Day turn out some great mead but low ABV do they back sweeten? I want to try and make a clone of New Days Breakfast Magpie. Which is a black raspberry coffee mead. It's sooooo good.

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you look in the mead recipes section, I believe there is a recipe named Good Morning Magpie that is what you are looking for from New Days.

Edit: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=463377
 
Is it feasible that if I want a sweeter mead I get the OG higher with honey and let the yeast eat what it can and then what's left will sweeten the mead? Or are there side effects of this theory?
 
jradams76 said:
Awesome I will have to give this a try. How did it turn out? Any adjustments to the recipe?
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Being from NY, I can't compare it to New Days, but I did use black raspberries as they do, used us05 yeast, and followed the rest of the recipe exactly as written.

Going to make it again this year, if I can get ahold of enough black raspberries. Sticking with the same yeast, but may try to use beans instead of a cold extraction.
 
rjolin01 said:
Is it feasible that if I want a sweeter mead I get the OG higher with honey and let the yeast eat what it can and then what's left will sweeten the mead? Or are there side effects of this theory?
Click to expand...

Depending on the yeast it will most likely eat all of the simple sugars. The best way to get a sweet mead is to stop fermentation at a target FG or you could back sweeten or blend a young mead. I've also gone with low ABV % meads using about 1.5-1.7 lbs of honey per gallon. Although it all still gets fermented mead just seems a tad sweeter at lower ABVs
 
So I got my 3 gallon batch going. I used a full 2L start that has a double pack of 1388 in it. I recieved a pack in mail that took 4 days to get and I felt the viability of the yeast may had been compromised so I added it overnight to the starter that's been mixing for past 3 days.

I never knew wildflower honey could vary in color. The 6 pounds I got from northern brewer was way darker than the one pounders I got at Walmart.

I am going out of town Friday morning till Saturday evening. I hope that degassing Friday morning and then again not till Saturday evening is ok. I also plan on checking the breaks during these times to determine if dosage applies. Here hoping it goes well! [emoji120]🏻
 
I started at 1.15 and within 24hrs I am at 1.09. I did not dose at precisely the 1.1 mark but I did dose in 24hrs. Does this seem right as far as how fast it's fermenting?
 
Sorry suppose to be OG 1.15. Perhaps I misread some number but I use a Refractometer with ATC. Sometime hard to see exactly where line is
 
Don't refractometers have to be calibrated differently to get accurate readings from sugar vs. maltose vs. honey? I had a panic once when I tried to use my maltose refractometer on something else. I realised the issue when I used my hydrometer instead -- density is density, but refraction varies by chemical solution.

Also note that once fermentation has begun, refractometers may no longer be used directly, instead requiring a formula with a known OG. It's almost easier just use a hydrometer.

But to answer the question, 0.06 gravity in 24 hours does seem way too fast, though it is within the realm of possibility.
 
Just asking if anyone has used those carbonation tabs to make the BOMM mead a sparkling one? It looks like I just drop a tablet in a bottle and then it should be carbed in a week or so. I'm just worried that it would explode. I have never made a sparkling mead before. I assume when I rack into the secondary and FG is consistent its safe to bottle and i would drop a tab in and then cap it.
 
Just bottled my batch at 28 days and it is fantastic. Dropped some carb candy into 4 bottles (we used grolsh bottles for ease). I'll let ya know what I think. I assumed they would take closer to 3 weeks to be carved and stable though.
 
jradams76 said:
Just asking if anyone has used those carbonation tabs to make the BOMM mead a sparkling one? It looks like I just drop a tablet in a bottle and then it should be carbed in a week or so. I'm just worried that it would explode. I have never made a sparkling mead before. I assume when I rack into the secondary and FG is consistent its safe to bottle and i would drop a tab in and then cap it.
Click to expand...

Yes, used them on the fidnemed herbal variation. It was good. Get the ones that look like cough drops, not the white smaller ones, which seem to have a binder in them which makes more sediment in the bottle.
 
andrewmaixner said:
Yes, used them on the fidnemed herbal variation. It was good. Get the ones that look like cough drops, not the white smaller ones, which seem to have a binder in them which makes more sediment in the bottle.
Click to expand...

Thanks I will have to take a look to see which ones my local store carries. I will give it a try and let ya know how it works out.
 
I stopped at the store to order some more 1388 yesterday and they actually had it in stock. They decided to start carrying it after "multiple customer requests".. I have a feeling that was just me ordering it several times from different employees but I'm not going to complain. :)
 
So I just finished pitching my yeast into a cherry melomel I'm attempting. OG:1.110

According to your prior posts, I can put my air lock on my fermenter, but don't put any water in it? I add water to the air lock after 7 days?
 
zimmerj81 said:
On the other hand, I saw a guy named Ricky the Meadmaker give a presentation at NHC this year. He doesn't back sweeten and serves his mead very very dry. I don't know the name of his meadery though.
Click to expand...

It's Groennfell Meadery, I only know this because I've seen some of his videos and I'm very curious how he can get low-ABV, dry, unsweetened meads that the general public actually wants to buy (namely this one: http://www.groennfell.com/mannaz.html). I made a 6% dry mead once and the flavour was just a bit too weak to think about doing it again in the future. It really needed spice, fruit, or anything with extra flavour.
 
wkrawul2 said:
So I just finished pitching my yeast into a cherry melomel I'm attempting. OG:1.110

According to your prior posts, I can put my air lock on my fermenter, but don't put any water in it? I add water to the air lock after 7 days?
Click to expand...

I usually just cover my bucket with a tshirt and remove when doing the daily stirring. Once it's below 1.02, (about 7 days), I rack to a carboy and put the airlock on with sanitizer in it. Water will not cut it. Another option is Vodka.
 
Hey all, question from a newbie here. Planning on giving the BOMM a go in the next couple days, and I had a question about nutrient addition: I have Wyeast Nutrient Blend on hand; would it impact the result if I added 3/4 tsp of this nutrient blend at sugar breaks instead of the DAP/Fermaid K mix? AFAIK the nutrient blend has sources of organic and inorganic nitrogen as part of the mix, plus some vitamins/minerals the yeast needs.
 
Hello All from Australia, long time reader and first time poster.

I'll also say a very grateful thank you to lor for his wisdom and initiative on creating the BOMM and I have been reading this thread from start to finish as well as his website trying to absorb as much as I can.

I just obtained 2 fermenters and 70 bottles from a friend who used to brew beer but as I can't stand the stuff and have a dad who keeps bees I'm very keen on trying mead.

I have a total warranty void 5 gal batch going now for 3 days using mangrove jacks m05 yeast and also the pre packaged yeast nutrient freely available here in Australia and it appears to be going great. Seriously chewing along which I've been degassing regularly as well as trying the sugar breaks as required for the practice. SG was 1.1 and this afternoon was down to 1.022 with no bad smells, very fizzy and not a bad taste (no burning) and a nice honey lingering flavour. If it finishes nice, awesome, if not, I don't care as I'm learning!!

I've ordered wyeast 1388 as well as some dap, go ferm and the fermaid-a getting ready to get serious.

I do have a couple of quick questions though:
1. Another Aussie user "wombat" asked in the 90's pages if you can explain if fermaid-a can be used? We can't get fermaid-k down here because of our touchy feely government and fermaid-a apparently has been created for us but it says little regarding its make up.
2. Could you also please post a 5 gal recipe of the jao BOMM as I can only see the 1 gal and just want to get the fruit etc amount correct and also should we do a starter like to 5 gal BOMM?

Any help is greatly appreciated as it looks like I've got another hobby to keep me in the man cave away from the wife!

Cheers Geoff "Whitey72" White.
 
Bray, thanks for the fast reply re Fermaid-A. I'll do exactly as stated. I've already been all over your page, which is now a favourite and a great wealth of information.
My other question is regarding making a 5 gal batch of JAO BOMM and your site has the 1 gal recipe.

Do I create a starter as per the 5gal BOMM recipe for the JAO too?

Also are the fruit ingredients for the JAO BOMM increased in a linear scale to supply the correct nutrients for a 5gal batch.

Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge and can't wait to get the next batch on when all my supplies arrive.

Cheers Whitey.
 
I started my first BOMM last Thursday and I have a couple of questions. My age was 1.10. Today is 1 week and I am at the 1/3 break nutrient addition gravity 1.03. I have been degassing daily. The directions say to put water in the airlock at one week. My question is do I still need to degas daily or leave it alone? I appreciate all the help.
Thanks,
Travis
 
Hey all and @loveofrose, I started my first BOMM just last night, in a 1gal carboy, and was wondering how best to quickly degas (and how thoroughly to degas). Swirling the carboy creates a lot of bubbles (but there seems to be no end to them), and if I cap and shake, I risk an explosion. With my first SNA coming up, I was wondering how best to degas to avoid getting mead everywhere! Thanks for the help.
 
I swirl slow at first, then a bit more furious as it settles down. Over the sink is best (especially when adding nutrients).
 

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